The Japanese box office has seen some shifts this past week, with the latest “Detective Conan” film losing its top spot and a new live-action adaptation making its debut. Here’s a breakdown of the latest happenings:
“Detective Conan: One-Eyed Flashback” Falls to Second Place
After dominating the Japanese box office for five consecutive weekends, “Detective Conan: One-Eyed Flashback” has finally relinquished its number one position. In its sixth weekend (May 23-25, 2025), the 28th installment in the “Detective Conan/Case Closed” anime feature film series ranked second, earning 376 million yen (approximately $2.63 million USD) on 255,000 admissions. This represents a 27.2% drop from the previous weekend.
Despite the drop, the film has amassed a total of 12.8 billion yen (approximately $89.67 million USD) on 8.84 million admissions. This impressive performance has propelled it to the 29th spot in Japan’s all-time box office rankings, surpassing “Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace” (1999).
“Detective Conan: One-Eyed Flashback” initially premiered on April 18, 2025, and achieved a record-breaking opening weekend for the franchise, earning 3,438,626,700 yen (about US$24.15 million) and selling 2,314,690 tickets in its first three days. The film was released in 522 theaters across Japan, marking the widest release in the history of “Detective Conan” features.
The film takes place in the snowy mountains of Nagano Prefecture and revolves around a series of mysterious events and murders. It features real-life locations, a common element in “Conan” films that often attracts tourists. Katsuya Shigehara, who served as unit director and key animator on previous “Conan” films, directed the movie, with Takeharu Sakurai penning the script. The theme song, “Twilight!!!” is performed by King Gnu.
“Thus Spoke Rohan Kishibe: At a Confessional” Debuts at Number Four
A new live-action film adaptation of Hirohiko Araki’s “Thus Spoke Rohan Kishibe” manga series, titled “Thus Spoke Rohan Kishibe: At a Confessional,” opened in 337 theaters on May 23, 2025. It earned 259 million yen (approximately $1.82 million USD) on 177,000 admissions, securing a fourth-place debut.
The opening weekend gross was 82.2% of that of the previous film in the Issei Takahashi-starring live-action series, “Rohan at the Louvre” (2023). “At a Confessional” also ranked #3 in Filmarks’ first-day satisfaction ranking with an average rating of 3.98/5.0 based on 2,631 reviews.
This new film adapts the first chapter of “Thus Spoke Rohan Kishibe,” which was initially published on June 24, 1997, and is labeled as “Episode 16” in the series.
Issey Takahashi reprises his role as Rohan Kishibe, a manga artist who encounters bizarre and mysterious phenomena during his research trips. Marie Itoyo also returns as Kyoka Izumi. The cast includes Arata Iura as Tamiya, Tina Tamashiro as Maria, Shigeyuki Totsugi as Sotoba, and Shunsuke Daitō as Mizuo. Kazutaka Watanabe directed the film, and Yasuko Kobayashi, who has written previous “Kishibe Rohan” installments, penned the script.
Other Notable Box Office Performers
- Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning: The latest installment in the “Mission: Impossible” series, starring Tom Cruise, took the top spot, earning 449 million yen (approximately $3.1 million USD) on 281,000 admissions in its first Saturday-Sunday weekend. However, these results were from advanced screenings with a limited number of showings. The film is scheduled to fully open in over 380 theaters in Japan on May 23.
- A Minecraft Movie: Remained in third place during its 5th weekend.
- Blank Canvas: My So-Called Artist’s Journey: The live-action film adaptation of Akiko Higashimura’s autobiographical manga series “Blank Canvas: My So-Called Artist’s Journey,” went down one position to fifth in its second weekend. The film has earned over 100 million yen (701,100 USD) in its second Saturday-Sunday weekend, 20% down from its two-day opening weekend, and the cumulative total gross has reached 404.8 million yen (2.84 million USD) on 300,000 admissions.
- Tabekko Dōbutsu THE MOVIE: The film based on the Tabekko Dōbutsu brand of animal-shaped butter biscuits, ranked at #5 in its opening weekend. The film earned 176,110,370 yen (about US$1.22 million) in its first four days.
- Uta no Prince-sama The Movie: TABOO NIGHT XXXX: The third concert film in the “Uta no Prince-sama” anime franchise, went down two positions to sixth in its second weekend.
Controversy Surrounds “Thus Spoke Rohan Kishibe” Film’s Use of AI
Despite its debut in the top five, “Thus Spoke Rohan Kishibe: At a Confessional” has faced controversy due to the composer, Naruyoshi Kikuchi, announcing that he “did not compose a single piece” and that the film’s soundtrack was created extensively using AI. This sparked backlash from fans of “JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure,” with some threatening to boycott the film.
Kikuchi defended his use of AI, comparing the criticism to a witch hunt and stating his intention to continue using AI as a tool alongside live performances. However, it remains to be seen whether this controversy will impact the film’s overall box office performance.
“Detective Conan” Film’s Success
Prior to dropping to the second position, “Detective Conan: One-Eyed Flashback” enjoyed a successful run, holding the number one spot for five consecutive weekends. By its fifth weekend (May 16-18, 2025), the film had earned 516 million yen (approximately $3.56 million USD) on 346,000 admissions, with only a 17% week-to-week drop. Its 30-day cumulative total reached 12.2 billion yen (approximately $84.2 million USD) from 8.43 million ticket sales. The movie has also become the 31st top-grossing film in Japan’s all-time box office ranking, surpassing Hayao Miyazaki’s 2013 film “The Wind Rises” (12.02 billion yen).
The film’s initial success can be attributed to several factors, including the franchise’s popularity, the film’s release during a holiday period, and the availability of screenings in various formats such as IMAX, MX4D, 4DX, and Dolby Cinema.
The Japanese box office continues to be a dynamic and competitive landscape, with both established franchises and new releases vying for the top spot. It will be interesting to see how these films perform in the coming weeks and whether “Thus Spoke Rohan Kishibe: At a Confessional” can overcome the controversy surrounding its use of AI.
